John McKinney is the author of 30 books about hiking, parklands and nature, including “Hiking on the Edge: Dreams, Schemes and 1600 Miles on the California Coastal Trail” and “Hiking the Holy Mountain: Tales of Monks and Miracles on the Trails of Mount Athos, Greece.”

John shares his unique trail philosophy and the many mental, physical and even spiritual benefits of hiking in The Hiker’s Way as well as with one of his popular talks, “Getting Back on the Nature Trail.” For 18 years, he wrote a weekly hiking column for the Los Angeles Times, and the intrepid Eagle Scout has hiked and enthusiastically described more then ten thousand miles of trail across California and around the U.S.John McKinney, aka The Trailmaster, has written more than a thousand articles and stories about hiking, numerous regional bestselling guidebooks, including “Hike Southern California: A Day Hiker’s Guide” and “Day Hiker’s Guide to California’s State Parks,” and created The Trailmaster Pocket Guide series now numbering a dozen books. A proud Californian, John is the only one to have visited and written about all 265 California State Parks and to solo-hike the entire length of the California Coast.

A passionate advocate for hiking and our need to reconnect with nature, John McKinney shares his expertise on radio, TV, online, and as a public speaker. He is currently in development with Hike On, a half-hour show about hiking for public television.

Words to live by"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." - John Muir, 1898

Words to live by"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." - John Muir, 1898